How to Grow White Yarrow From Seed

White yarrow, or Achillea millefolium, is a perennial herb cultivated for its airy, white flower umbels, which appear in spring and last through the summer months. Gardeners include white yarrow in landscaping for its attractive appearance and ability to thrive with little attention or maintenance, but perhaps its greatest trait is the ease with which it grows from seeds. Growing white yarrow seeds takes little effort, but it is best to germinate them indoors before planting them out in the garden since the plants take up to one year to fully mature.

Things You'll Need

4-inch-deep pots
Medium-grit sand
Potting soil

Spray bottle
Fluorescent lamp

Instructions

- 1
  Fill 4-inch-deep pots with a moistened mixture of two parts medium-grit sand and one part potting soil. Leave a gap measuring 1/4-inch between the soil surface and the edge of the pot.
- 2
  Rough up the surface of the soil mixture with your fingernails to create a series of shallow furrows. Sprinkle two or three white yarrow seeds onto the soil in each pot. Do not bury the seeds since exposure to bright light helps them germinate.
- 3
  Mist the white yarrow seeds with a spray bottle to help anchor them to the soil. Spray the soil until it feels moist at a depth of 1/2 inch. Keep the soil moist to 1/2 inch during the germination process.
- 4
  Set the pots where the white yarrow seeds will receive at least six hours of bright, direct light each day such as on a sunny, sheltered porch or near a large window. Supplement the natural light conditions with a fluorescent lamp, if necessary.
- 5
  Watch for germination in four to six weeks. Thin the white yarrow seedlings to one per pot. Keep the seedlings in their pots until the following spring to allow them time to produce a viable root system before planting them out in a sunny bed with adequate drainage.

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